In late morning trade the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record another solid gain. At the time of writing the benchmark index is up 0.45% to 5,969.9 points.

Four shares that have not been able to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here’s why they are tumbling lower:

The G8 Education Ltd (ASX: GEM) share price is down 1% to 94 cents on the day of its annual general meeting. The childcare centre operator advised that its booked occupancy is currently ~65%, with physical attendance of ~53%. The lower attendance rate is due to some parents continuing to choose to keep their children at home despite having a booking at a centre.

The InvoCare Limited (ASX: IVC) share price has fallen 3% to $11.05. Investors have been selling the funeral company’s shares in response to a broker note out of Macquarie. According to the note, the broker has downgraded InvoCare’s shares to an underperform rating with a lowered price target of $10.20. Macquarie believes the company is losing market share and could fall short of earnings expectations.

The Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) share price has dropped 4.5% to $13.38. This follows the sell down of shares by a substantial shareholder. According to the release, Digital Realty has sold 7.7 million Megaport shares for an average of $13.36 per share. This represents a total consideration of approximately $103 million. Digital Realty retains 2 million shares and has advised that it remains committed to its strategic partnership.

The Webjet Limited ASX: WEB) share price is down 2% to $4.02. Investors appear to be taking profit after the online travel agent’s shares rocketed higher on Tuesday. However, as I pointed out here earlier, Webjet now has a market capitalisation greater than its pre-pandemic level. As such, its shares may not be as cheap as you think despite their heavy decline this year.

More reading

• Is the Webjet share price going to crash lower?
• ASX 200 jumps almost 4%, Webjet share price soars
• 3 ASX 200 shares to buy for income and growth
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX 200 shares to sell today
• ASX 200 falls 2%, ASX travel shares drop heavily

James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Webjet Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended InvoCare Limited and MEGAPORT FPO. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The post Why G8 Education, InvoCare, Megaport, & Webjet shares are tumbling lower appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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The AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL) share price has been under pressure in 2020.

While the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down 11.1% this year, AGL’s value has plummeted 16% to $17.25 per share at the time of writing.

ASX energy companies have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and recent bear market, but could AGL be in the buy zone?

Why AGL Energy shares have slumped lower this year

AGL is currently trading at just $17.25 but started the year at $20.58. The oil price war between OPEC+ and Russia hit ASX energy shares hard in February.

However, AGL isn’t a large oil producer compared to its energy peers like Santos Ltd (ASX: STO). The Santos share price has fallen 33.4% in 2020 which probably reflects the higher oil exposure compared to AGL.

In contrast, AGL is one of the largest ASX-listed investors in renewable energy. AGL has strong interests in renewables which could be a real bonus as Australia looks to kickstart its economy.

Fellow ASX energy share Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG) is down 29.8% this year, which means AGL seems to be outperforming its peers with its 16% drop.

But given the non-cyclical nature of earnings, could AGL shares actually be undervalued?

Is $1,000 worth of shares a smart investment?

Despite relatively strong performance compared to its ASX energy peers, AGL is still underperforming the ASX 200 benchmark index.

However, I think AGL shares still have strong potential to outperform in 2020. If we are set for tough economic times this year, that could mean AGL is a good buy for income.

If earnings remain solid in August, that could bode well for further share price growth towards the end of the year.

Of course, if the sector bounces back then arguably Origin may be better value given its strong declines.

Foolish takeaway

It’s very hard for even the best investors to pick good value ASX shares right now. AGL shares have underperformed so far this year but could be a cheap buy if you’re buying and holding for the long-term.

More reading

• 3 reasons to buy ASX 200 shares right now
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• ASX 200 jumps almost 4%, Webjet share price soars
• Top brokers just upgraded these ASX 200 shares today
• 3 ASX 200 shares to buy for income and growth

Motley Fool contributor Ken Hall has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The post Is $1,000 invested in AGL Energy shares a smart investment? appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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Investing $1,000 every other month may not seem like it has the potential to change your life, but you’d be wrong.

The Australian share market has provided investors with an average total return of 9.2% per annum over the last 30 years.

This means that if you had invested $1,000 every other month and earned the market return, you would have grown your wealth to just under $930,000 today.

This is good for two reasons. Imagine you started investing these funds when you were 20. Now you would be 50 years old and have a share portfolio worth almost one million dollars.

If you were to now rotate your portfolio into high yield income shares that collectively offer a yield of 5%, you would generate $46,500 of income each year from these investments. That could arguably be enough for some people to quit the day job and start living a life of leisure if they have paid off their mortgage already.

Overall, I believe this demonstrates why investing on a regular basis and with a long term view can be a very rewarding endeavour and something you’ll be very thankful for in the future.

With that in mind, here are three shares that I think would be great options for a $1,000 investment today:

a2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

I think a2 Milk Company could be a great option for that first $1,000 investment. Although the company has been growing at a very strong rate over the last few years, I’m confident it still has a long runway for growth. Especially given the increasing demand for its infant formula products. In addition to this, I believe a2 Milk Company could accelerate its growth with new product launches and acquisitions in the near future.

Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)

This award-winning printed circuit board (PCB) design software provider could be another ASX share to buy. It has also been growing at a rapid rate over the last few years. This has been driven by the proliferation of electronic devices globally which has led to increasing demand for its software. Pleasingly, with the Internet of Things boom still accelerating, I think the future looks very bright for Altium.

IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL)

A final option to consider investing $1,000 into is IDP Education. It is a leading provider of international student placement services and English language testing services. Although its near term growth will inevitably be impacted by the pandemic, I expect it to rebound strongly once the crisis passes. Outside this, I believe its long term outlook is very positive due to its sizeable opportunity, strong market position, and growing software business.

More reading

• Why these ASX shares could help you beat the market
• 3 ASX shares to buy and hold for the next decade
• Is the Altium share price the steal of the century?
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX 200 shares to buy right now
• Why Appen, Healius, IDP Education, & Propel shares are racing higher

James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Altium and Idp Education Pty Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of A2 Milk. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The post How to become wealthy by investing $1,000 into ASX shares appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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